Prologue:

"Prep the jump ship for takeoff Hawk." Captain Jonathan Power said to his second in command, Major Matt "Hawk" Masterson in an almost emotionless voice. His tone didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the crew which consisted of Lieutenant Michael "Tank" Ellis and Sergeant Robert "Scout" Baker. Scout and Tank merely looked at each other and shrugged but what was unspoken between them about their commander spoke volumes.

"Yes sir" Hawk said as he flipped various switches and dials. "John, are you sure you want to do this? We should really try to free up that blockade in the 'Passages.' Ambushing Lord Dread's armored column just seems kind of out of place to me." Instead of answering verbally, Captain Power merely glared at Hawk, his eyes dead as his soul. Knowing that his commander wouldn't be swayed, Hawk merely answered, "yes sir" and continued prepping the ship.

Captain Power looked at the seat that used to be crewed by Jennifer "Pilot" Chase and his heart sank deep into his chest. The poker face he wore gave no indication that he was still grieving for his compatriot and would be lover. Though it was six months ago, her death while defying Lord Dread and his henchman Blastarr was still so fresh in his memory that it took a conscious act of will to not break down in front of his teammates.

Finally with all the preparations complete and all the crew members at their stations, the jump ship blasted off for their mission. Each one of the crew was lost in their own thoughts as they rocketed toward their destination. The commonality that each of their thoughts shared however was the loss of their friend Jennifer.

Suddenly, klaxons blared and the ship shuddered violently, throwing each man against their restraints. "What was that?" Captain Power screamed over the din.

"It's Sauron! The blasted machine must've been hiding in the clouds and spotted us." Scout screamed from his instrument panel.

"Firing weapons!" Tank chimed in, furiously working the weapons panel. The ship lurched from each blast of its laser cannons.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Captain Power shouted, falling into the familiar rhythm of command. The ship juked left then right and then left again, desperately trying to avoid the winged, robotic henchman of Lord Dread. Power felt his fury rising at Sauron; every bio-dread and robotic soldier of his arch enemy he hated with a passion he never before felt, not even when his father was killed at the hands of Lord Dread. He was half tempted to climb into the X-7, the attack ship that was attached to the jump ship which could detach as a separate combat unit, or onto one of the hover cycles but he knew that he couldn't afford to be separated from the rest of the crew.

Sweat beaded on Hawk's face as he desperately did his best to keep his friends alive. "John, should I get out and face Sauron one on one?" Hawk said. He was the aerial specialist of the group, his power suit gave him the ability to become a one man, flying arsenal.

"Negative Hawk, maintain the controls. The stakes are too important for us to separate." Power replied. Prep the teleport gate and prepare to engage afterburner on my mark, we're going to have to make a break for it. Scout, tell precisely when Sauron is within one-hundred meters of our rear!"

"Right captain!" Scout replied. He looked to his friend Tank who turned and gave Scout the thumbs up. With each successive hit Sauron made, death seemed to have more and more of a palpable presence within the ship and Scout didn't like that at all. Finally, he saw the moment he was looking for and screamed out, "Now Captain!"

Without needing a command from Power, Hawk engaged the throttles and gunned the jump ship toward the waiting teleportation gate ahead of them. In Scout's screen, Sauron was caught in the backwash of the ship's afterburners, screaming a robotic cry of anguish as he tumbled helplessly out of control. Inside the ship, the team cheered as the ship entered the teleportation gate, bound for the west coast of what used to be the United States.

Something caught Scout's eye as strange as he saw Sauron's eyes glow a deep red and emit a tight, focused beam at the ship. No, at the gate. "Captain, something's…" He never got to finish that sentence as the ship jerked so violently that it slammed his head against the control panel, making his vision vanish in a sea of blackness.

As the gate closed behind them, the ship was buffeted by shockwaves of unknown and unfamiliar origin. Everyone on the ship knew something was dreadfully wrong. "Brace yourselves, we're going down!" Hawk screamed as he fought to gain control of the ship. G-forces pushed everybody into their chairs like a gigantic, invisible hand trying to crush the life from them. There was a loud crash, a flash of bright, white light and mercifully the same darkness that claimed Scout, now claimed the rest of the crew.